Characterization of High-priority Landing Sites for Robotic Exploration Missions in the Apollo Basin, Moon ...

• Main Authors: Orgel, Csilla, Torres, Ines, Besse, Sebastien, Van Der Bogert, Carolyn H., Bahia, Rickbir, Prissang, René, Ivanov, Mikhail A., Hiesinger, Harald, Michael, Gregory, Walter, Sebastian H. G.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Freie Universität Berlin 2024
• Subjects: Moon; Landing Sites; Robotic Exploration Missions; 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik520 Astronomie520 Astronomie und zugeordnete Wissenschaften; South pole
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17169/refubium-42556; https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/42840

The South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin is the oldest and largest visible impact structure on the Moon, making it a high priority science site for exploration missions. The 492 km diameter Apollo peak-ring basin is one of the youngest and largest basins within the SPA basin. We selected three regions of interest (ROIs) in the Apollo basin for which the landing and operational hazards are minimized and evaluated their science and in situ resource utilization (ISRU) potential. We examined topography, slope, crater density, rock abundance, geologic mapping, mineralogy, and inferred subsurface stratigraphy within each ROI. The results show that the terrain is safe for landing without precision landing (within a few hundred meters). The mare materials have high ISRU potential with relatively high FeO (∼16–20 wt%) and TiO2 (∼3–10 wt%) contents. Two robotic exploration mission architectures were examined for their scientific potential: (1) lander and rover with a dedicated payload suite and (2) the same architecture with ...